The invention relates to skimmers for use in cleaning debris from, at or near the surface of a liquid. In particular, the invention is useful as a pool skimmer for skimming debris off the surface of water contained within a swimming pool.
Conventional swimming pool skimmers are either too small, and therefore labor intensive, or large and bulky, and thus designed to be pulled in only one direction. Such skimmers are therefore difficult to maneuver within a swimming pool, and are especially difficult to operate when one cleans debris from inside the skimmer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,495, issued to Harding, provides one form of conventional skimmer. Harding's pool skimmer can only be pulled in one direction. Also, if Harding's pool skimmer is flipped over, it will no longer be operational.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,060, issued to Brennan, provides another form of conventional pool skimmer. Brennan's skimmer has three elongated connecting members. Two of these connecting members are at the front of the skimmer. These two connecting members are filled with air and sealed to allow Brennan's skimmer to float. Brennan's third connecting member, which is at the back of the skimmer, has a plurality of apertures, allowing it to sink in water. Like Harding's skimmer, Brennan's skimmer is designed to be pulled only in the direction it is facing. Further, if the net in Brennan's skimmer is inverted, Brennan's skimmer will no longer be operational.
It is an object of the invention to provide a swimming pool skimmer which is omnidirectional in nature, i.e., it can be pulled in multiple directions or upside down.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pool skimmer containing a net which can be inverted in order to clean debris therefrom, and which, when the net is inverted, can be immediately used as a pool skimmer without returning the net to its previous uninverted configuration.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pool skimmer which is easy to assemble and disassemble, preferably without the need for tools.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pool skimmer which is light weight and has soft outer surfaces, such that the outer surfaces will not damage a pool when dragged against the pool during a cleaning operation or cause injury to users or people in the pool when the pool skimmer is operated.